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Guitar chords · Dominant 9th

E♭9 chord on guitar (Eb9)

E♭9 (E♭ 9th) has five notes: E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F, the , 3, 5, ♭7 and 9.

Shapes

How to play E♭9

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

E♭9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 6

    5fr×R3♭795E♭GD♭FB♭
  • E shape · fret 11

    11frR5♭7359E♭B♭D♭GB♭F
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes E♭9 dominant 9th

A 9th chord is a chord with the 9th stacked on top. It keeps the 's pull to the chord a 5th below but sounds fuller and smoother: the sound of funk, soul and the blues. Keep the 3rd, the ♭7th and the 9th; the 5th can go.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 3rd, the ♭7th and the 9th make E♭9 a 9th chord; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. E♭Rroot
  2. G3essential
  3. B♭5optional
  4. D♭♭7essential
  5. F9essential
EADGBE0135791215E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭FGB♭D♭FGB♭D♭FGB♭FGB♭D♭FGB♭D♭FGB♭D♭FGB♭D♭FGB♭D♭FG
  • E♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

E♭9 usually resolves to A♭ or A♭m, the chord a 5th below: the V9–I move.

E♭9 and D♯9 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with E♭9

E♭9 belongs to two keys: A♭ major (V9) and F minor (VII9).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

E♭9 over another bass note

A keeps E♭9 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • E♭9/G

    E♭9 with its 3rd, G, in the bass.

  • E♭9/B♭

    E♭9 with its 5th, B♭, in the bass.

  • E♭9/D♭

    E♭9 with its ♭7th, D♭, in the bass.

Questions

E♭9, in short

What notes are in the E♭9 chord?
E♭9 (E♭ 9th) has five notes: E♭, G, B♭, D♭ and F, the , 3, 5, ♭7 and 9.
How do you play E♭9 on guitar?
E♭9 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11.
What key is E♭9 in?
E♭9 belongs to two keys: A♭ major (V9) and F minor (VII9).
Is E♭9 the same as D♯9?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. E♭9 is the spelling in A♭ major and F minor. No key on the circle spells it D♯9, so you will rarely see that name.
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